How to Teach/Not Teach Piano to the Visually Impaired

Kirsten and I have begun volunteering our time after school on Thursdays to  teach piano lessons at church. After school, Pastor picks us up at 4:30, to make the long drive through traffic to get to church by 5 for our first piano lesson. Lessons normally go until 8, which makes for a long day, but it is awesome to work on our relationships with people from church. Between Kirsten and I, we have 10 piano students so far.

This last Thursday was my first lesson with a man from church who is visually impaired. He plays percussion in the church band and has been interested in learning how to play the piano. My first thought? This is my first time teaching piano. How am I going to make this possible? The answer: teamwork, communication, and lots of understanding. 

We started the piano lesson by getting used the the piano, feeling the black and white keys. At first, I felt ignorant calling them the white and black keys--he couldn't see the colours, so I started saying thin keys on top, which is a lot more time consuming to say than black keys. Finally I just explained why I called the keys black and white. We felt the keys, finding groups of two and groups of three black keys. I explained how to find C, by feeling for a group of two black keys and sliding down to the left. He explored the keys and was able to identify the keys by going up and down and saying the note names.

Then it hit me, how do we learn songs?! I was frazzled. I opened up a piano book to a random page and read him the notes of Ode to Joy, a few notes at a time. It worked well at first, but then after a few measures, we were talking past each other and I am fairly certain I was confusing him to no extent. Finally, we took a deep breath, clarified the notes, and he was able to play through the whole first line of the song, remembering every note in the correct order. 

I asked him what I could do to help him be successful, mentioning that I was going up to the States in a few weeks for Christmas, and he asked if  I could find Braille piano books for him, and Braille note labels for the keys. I am eager to bring back the Braille resources to help him learn piano!

I am POSITIVE I am going to learn as much, if not more, than Mr. Richard. Clarity of words is SO IMPORTANT! After just one piano lesson, I am realizing that I take my sight for granted. I sat down at the piano with my eyes closed after the lesson, and it was incredibly challenging. What an amazing blessing it is to have sight and be able to see all of the other blessings God has given to us! As challenging as the half hour lesson may be, I know that God will bless both Mr. Richard and my efforts and we will both be learning!

Un-Lucian Weather

We have been experiencing some interesting weather down here. When we first came to the island, we were amazed that rain showers lasted about five minutes and then the sun was out once again. This past Friday, we were at school when around 10 am, the clouds broke open and it poured rain. The rain was coming down so hard, I had to use my REALLY LOUD teacher voice so my students could hear the words for their spelling test. I was amazed when the rain kept coming down for about four and a half hours. Parents were rushing to pick up their children. They were telling stories of how the roads were flooding, town was a chaotic mess, and roundabouts and bridges on the main highway were being closed. The rain finally stopped around 2 and it was an eerie calm. The sky was still gray, and the air was cool. The yard in front of the school was one ginormous pond. We were able to leave school once all the students were picked up, which was around 3 o'clock.
I was very thankful for a few things. None of my students cried, even when thunder crashed, lightning lit up the sky, and the power went out. I was thankful I got to work on my relationships with the students whose parents came late to pick their children up. I had three students who were teaching me French, Spanish, and Arabic. I was thankful I did not have to worry about getting home, since our only challenge was dodging pot-hole lakes on our minute walk down the road. I was extremely thankful our wifi and electricity came back on shortly after come home from school. I am thankful my roommate's laptop is fully functioning again after getting saved from the huge water puddle that leaked into our house. God kept everyone safe through the storm, even the man who was sucked into the sewer system by means of an open manhole cover was rescued. Never a dull moment in St. Lucia...
Yesterday at church, a couple was visiting from Wisconsin, and the wife turned out to be one of the teachers who taught at St. Marcus while I was student teaching there last year! The small WELS vibe can be felt all the way from St. Lucia!
School was cancelled today due to inclement weather, which has not been seen yet. I am definitely enjoying the day off by doing laundry, practicing piano, starting a new TV series, and maybe even a NAP! Yes, cancelled school is probably more exciting as a teacher.

Jounen Kweyol

Today at school. we celebrated Jounen Kweyol, which celebrates the French and African dialect that is spoken here. St. Lucians are extremely proud of their culture, and today was an intriguing look into the vibrant and colourful culture.
Everyone was dressed in Madras, which is a colourful striped fabric. Each class prepared a performance which demonstrated a particular part of the culture. The grade one classes prepared a "Battle of the Flowers," representing the two different flower festivals in St. Lucia, La Marguarite and La Rose. Other classes danced, sang, and played instruments. The entire performance lasted two and a half hours, and it was extremely hot. You can only imagine how well all of the children were sitting by the end! Once the performance was over, we went back to our classroom to eat bouillon, a kind of stew. At the upper campus, teachers were selling a variety of national food such as saltfish and breadfruit. As hectic as the day was, the children did a beautiful job and I can officially say I have survived the first half of the term!

Vive La Marguarite!

Yesterday at school, we celebrated one of St. Lucia's flower festivals, La Marguarite. The colors for La Marguarite are maroon, blue, violet, silver, and white. Students came to school dressed as queens, kings, princes, princesses, flower girls, doctors, nurses, policemen, governors, governors' wives, and flag bearers. The children in Preprimary through Grade 2 came to school in their outfits, which proved to make for quite the crazy day. (Note from the teacher: if the daily schedule is different AT ALL from the normal routine, children go crazy and do not listen very well.)
At 9 o'clock, we lined up to parade around the school's fields as we sang our La Marguarite songs. I was amazed at how many parents were there to take pictures of their kids and watch them parade around a field a few times. It's weird to know that there are a large number of pictures out there of adorable children dressed up so nicely, and then Teacher Abby all awkward in the background. Children waved flowers above their heads as they sang Creole songs. I had tried my best to learn these songs so I could sing along. I don't know how great my pronunciation was, but I sang loud and proud. It was already very hot by 9 o'clock, so after twenty-five minutes of parading, flower waving, and Creole song singing, we headed back to our classrooms.
Because it was a special day, not much was accomplished for the rest of the day. Next week, we celebrate Jounen Kweyol, a festival which celebrates the French/African dialect (Creole). On Wednesday, all of the students will put on a performance for the parents, so all the teachers are looking forward to another crazy day. I am getting quite the cultural education here!

Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving in St. Lucia. It is nothing like American Thanksgiving. No American football is played, and no turkey is consumed. St. Lucia just really loves its holidays, and St. Lucians especially love days off of work and school. This year, I get to celebrate Thanksgiving three times: St. Lucian Thanksgiving, Canadian Thanksgiving (one of my roommates is from Canada), and American Thanksgiving. I want to share just a few of the things I am thankful for:
1. I have 17 students who I get to watch grow. They are excited about learning and they show me an insane amount of love and hugs. Also, my co-teacher and assistant teacher are an amazing support system and help me with whatever I need.
2. I am thankful for my two roommates who put up with me. I cannot imagine moving to and teaching in St. Lucia alone. They are currently teaching me how to cook, and are being very patient with me. Last week while making mac and cheese, I accidentally dumped the cheese packet into the boiling water. Last week I almost set the kitchen on fire by lighting the gas stove which had been on for a while. (Long story... making brownies in a gas oven is tricky.)
3. I have an amazing boyfriend who is extremely patient with me. Long distance relationships are challenging, especially when both people are busy and trying to work around each other's schedules. It's not easy, but I know that our patience will be worth it.
4. Our church family, especially the pastor and his wife, give us rides when we need them, take us to amazing beaches, host pizza and movie parties, teach us how to grocery shop and prepare food down, and make us feel at home down here.
5. God has greatly blessed me by allowing me to call St. Lucia my home for the year. Pictures do not do this gorgeous island justice.
6. My family and friends back home--I appreciate all of you and your support. The initial adjustment period here was hard. Being able to Skype, see faces from home, and catch up on life makes the distance feel not so extreme. I am looking forward to seeing as many of you over Christmas break!
7. Food. I am so thankful for food. When we first arrived, I ate like every meal was my last. Now, I realize that God will provide for all of our needs and I do not have to worry about starving. Which was never going to be an issue, I just really like food.
In short, God is good. "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34

Week Three

Wow. Just wow. Week three is already done. In just three months, I will be back in the States for Christmas break. I have been in St. Lucia for five weeks, and I am amazed at how far we have come from the initial culture shock.
Despite my fears about grade one, I am already seeing amazing growth in my students. My students are getting better at having listening ears on and controlling their voices, something that stressed me out when I first started. My students are buying into our "team and family" culture, where we encourage, respect, and love each other. After just three weeks, my students give me several hugs a day and tell me that they love me. During read aloud time, students make predictions where they start off their sentences by saying, "I predict..." (I find this to be a big win for grade one students.) My students love love LOVE props, something we did in Milwaukee to encourage each other. So far I have taught them Ballin, Hot Chili Pepper, Two and a half claps, firework, and the Incredible Hulk.
Kirsten and I have both been asked by the church to teach piano lessons and Sunday School. They are giving us time to settle in, but I am sure we will be off and running with those activities in a few weeks. It is interesting to have a separate church and school, something that we would not have if we were teaching back in the states, but we enjoy getting to know different people and being able to build relationships with a variety of people.
The highlight of my week outside of school was probably eating brats for supper last night. We splurged $20 EC ($8 US) for five brats, and it was the perfect way to end a busy school week! Nothing like brats to remind you of home.
"I can do all things through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

First Full Week of School--Check!

It completely blows my mind that I am a real teacher. 

The first three days were full of meeting my 17 grade one students, setting up routines and procedures, and team building. I have been incorporating several things I learned while I was teaching in Milwaukee, such as sitting in STAR, tracking the speaker, Do It Again, props, A LOT of positive framing, and 100%. Holey moley, is it a lot of work to establish this kind of culture in a new setting! Consistency is the key. My students are adjusting well to the routines and procedures, but it is still early in the school year. I am excited to see their growth as the year progresses!

This year, I am teaching Language Arts, Math, and Health. My first week of lessons was hectic. I would come home from school and be completely exhausted. I am just assuming that is just the life of a teacher. At the end of the month, the special classes start, which means I will have FREE TIME during the day when my class goes to Library, French, Spanish, PE, Computer, Dance, Tennis, and Swimming. For now, we are filling in our free time with Language Experience Stories, read alouds, sentence writing, and lesson extensions. 

Grade one is definitely a challenge for me. I am not used to having students call out without raising their hands. I am not used to having students come up to me and poke me to get my attention. I am not used to having students tell me random stories that have no connection to what we are talking about. I am not used to having to repeat myself over and over and over again. I am not used to having to use simpler words that six-year-olds understand. We are currently working on staying in our seats and raising our hands to talk and having our listening ears on. Again, consistency is the key.

While I was teaching in Milwaukee, I was reminded that you choose your attitude, and your attitude effects everything. I am choosing to be positive. I know that God will bless my work here. I know that I will grow to be a better teacher. I know my hard work will pay off. I know that there will be difficult days, but God will work them out for my good. When I was feeling down the other day, God gave me the words I needed to hear: "I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." (Isaiah 46:4)